No Hate

Although this letter, ironically, bristles with the very hate the writer claims not to feel, she does ask a valuable question near the end about the nature of God’s creation.

December 1, 2006
By Melanie Gentile, Purcellville

In the past couple months there have been several letters regarding the Marriage Amendment that passed in the Nov. 7 vote. According to many of the letters, the only reason a person would support that marriage remain as a union between “one man and one woman” is because that person is hateful, intolerant, unenlightened, mean-spirited, irrational, and/or fearful. Well, I support that marriage [should] remain defined as “one man and one woman,” not because I hate gays or fear them. I don’t hate anyone. The gay people that I’ve known as family, friends or acquaintances have been as thoughtful and pleasant as anyone else…even more so in some cases. And I don’t think any of them should describe me as hateful, intolerant, or unkind. I wish no harm to anyone. I just happen to believe that marriage is–and always has been through all history, cultures and faiths–the union of a man and a woman. I don’t see a reason to redefine the instutition of marriage to include anything else. Marriage has never been a union between two men of two women, so to continue defining it as it has always been does not deny or take away the rights of anyone. I really don’t appreciate all the repeated inferences that I must be a hateful person because I feel that way.

And for many it is also a moral issue; they simply believe that homosexuality is, dare we use the term, “wrong.” They sense this deeply in their conscience, and maybe they have read in their Bible that this behavior is not God’s desire for our lives. So are they making moral judgements about others? Sure, as are the persons labeling others as hateful and uncaring, which are moral judgments as well. We all make moral judgments. And we would probably all be better off making them about our own lives instead of others. After all, right alongside the Biblical condemnations of homosexuality are also condemnations of adultery, sexual impurity, slander, arrogance, greed, deceit, gossip, envy, idolatry, and the list goes on. So it appears we have all done condemnable thins. I think the difference is that you don’t see people going around trying to gain acceptance of them. For instance, you don’t see a “Thieves Pride Parade,” or a people signing up for “Adulterers Cruises,” or the search for a “Greed Gene,” (As far as being born gay’ would a loving God design certain individuals so that they would be forced to live in a way that He clearly condemns in His Word? That would not be the act of a loving God, but instead would be incredibly cruel.)

So the bad news is that we have all done things that are wrong. But the good news is the remedy we celebrate this Christmas season; that in His mercy and love for every one of us, God sent his son Jesus to pay our debt, so we can all know true grace, peace, joy and hope. Merry Christmas to all.

[Originally published in the Leesburg Today, December 1, 2006]